PAYMENT FAQ

Updated: 17th August, 2021

Version 1.2
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OVERVIEW
This document provides a comprehensive faqs related to payments questions. It is compiled to
cover all your payment related questions and queries.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
To assist you in finding answers to your questions, we have broken our faqs into sections.
1. Payment setup
2. Tax form
3. Payment Methods
3.1. Paypal
3.2. Payoneer
3.3. Western Union
3.4. Wipro Payroll
4. Identity Verification
5. Other Common questions
PAYMENT SET UP
WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED TO CLAIM PAYMENTS ?
To claim payments, the following listed documents or details are required.
1. A completed tax form.
2. Choose and provide a preferred Payment Method.
3. Complete Personal Digital Verification.

The details of each are provided in subsequent sections.

TAX FORMS
A tax form needs to be completed to claim payments.
There are 2 types of tax forms available.
1. W8-BEN
2. W-9
Please fill the 1 tax form as applicable to you.

COMMON TAX FORM QUESTIONS:

1. WHERE CAN I FIND THESE FORMS?
Check the References section below for links to tax forms.

2. WHO NEEDS TO FILL OUT A W-9 TAX FORM?

You are a US citizen or other US person (such as a resident alien).

3. WHO NEEDS TO FILL OUT A W8-BEN TAX FORM?

You are NOT a US citizen or other US person (such as a foreign person, non-resident alien or
foreign national).

4. I AM NOT SURE WHICH TAX FORM IS APPLICABLE TO ME?

Topcoder cannot provide any tax advice due to legal reasons. Please consult your tax advisor or
legal counsel for guidance.

5. I AM NOT SURE WHAT I SHOULD FILL IN CERTAIN BOXES IN THE TAX FORM?
Please consult your tax advisor for guidance.
6. I NEED HELP IN FILLING UP THE TAX FORM?
Please consult your tax advisor for assistance. Taxation related queries cannot be answered by
support or payments due to legal restrictions.

7. I MADE A MISTAKE IN FILLING UP A TAX FORM.

Tax form cannot be edited. Write to [email protected] and request for voiding the old
form. You can refill a completely new form after the previous one has been voided.

8. I NEED A COPY OF THE TAX FORM FOR MY RECORDS.

A copy of the tax form is sent to you to your email address, as soon as you complete the form.
The email will be from [email protected]. Please save the copy for your records.

9. CAN YOU VERIFY MY TAX FORM, THAT IT'S CORRECTLY FILLED?

Please consult your tax advisor. We cannot offer any tax advice due to legal reasons.

10. WHILE FILLING THE W-8BEN FORM, A REFERENCE NUMBER IS REQUESTED. I AM NOT
SURE WHAT I NEED TO ENTER HERE. CAN YOU PLEASE CHECK?
Instructions for filling this out can be found on the government website
(https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw8.pdf)
If you have additional questions please seek answers from your tax professional as we can not
legally give any tax advice. However if there is something that doesn't apply to you please place
N/A in the box for not applicable field so that you can submit the form.

11. I WANT TO SUBMIT A TAX FORM, CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I SHOULD SEND
IT?
Kindly fill in the tax form via a DocuSign. The link to fill it can be found here
https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/articles/Payment%20Policies%20and%20Instructions
The link is also available in the reference section of this document.
Tax forms sent by email or via tickets are NOT accepted.
PAYMENT METHODS
A payment method is required to withdraw funds from Topcoder. We process payments via 4
payment providers. Please email from your registered Topcoder email address along with
details for each.
1. Paypal
2. Payoneer
3. Western Union
4. Wipro Payroll (Applicable only to Wipro permanent employees)
PAYPAL
You can elect to receive payments deposited directly to your PayPal account.

Details required to connect Paypal Account with Topcoder

1. Topcoder Handle.
2. Paypal Email Address
Please DO NOT provide a link to your Paypal account. We need your Paypal email

FEES AND CHARGES FOR PAYPAL

1. No processing fee applied from Topcoder.
2. Paypal will apply their standard charges. Please consult with paypal support to know
about the exact fees and charges involved. The charges can vary depending on your
location.

COMMON PAYPAL QUESTIONS:

1. I AM RECEIVING THE BELOW ERROR WHILE WITHDRAWING FROM PAYPAL?

Please confirm that your PayPal account is established properly and that any credit card on file
with PayPal is “verified” . Please consult Paypal support to resolve the error. It usually means the
paypal account is not fully configured to accept international payments.

2. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE PAYMENTS TO REACH A PAYPAL ACCOUNT?
In the case of Paypal, the transfer is made instantly after clicking the “Pay Me” button. However,
it can take around 1 business day for the payment to appear in the payment provider portal.

3. HOW IS THE CONVERSION RATE DETERMINED?

Amount conversion is done by Paypal. Please consult Paypal support to know about the exact
process and charges involved.
PAYONEER
You can elect to receive payments through Payoneer

Details required to connect Payoneer Account with Topcoder

1. Topcoder Handle.
2. Payoneer Customer ID.
3. Payoneer Email Address.

PAYONEER LINKAGE PROCESS FLOW:

FEES AND CHARGES FOR PAYONEER

1. No processing fee applied from Topcoder.
2. Payoneer will apply their standard withdrawal charges. Please consult with payoneer
support to know about the exact fee.
COMMON PAYONEER QUESTIONS:

1. I AM RECEIVING AN ERROR “PAYONEER ACCOUNT IS NOT ACTIVE” WHILE

WITHDRAWING PAYMENTS?
This error occurs, when you haven’t completed the Payoneer linkage with Topcoder. Please
check the invitation link that was sent in the payment steup ticket, and notify us that you have
linked your Payoneer account from your side.

2. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE PAYMENTS TO REACH THE PAYONEER ACCOUNT?
The transfer is made instantly after clicking the “Pay Me” button. However, it can take around 1
business day for the payment to appear in the payment provider portal.

3. IS IT POSSIBLE TO UNLINK PRESENT PAYEE DETAILS AND LINK MY ANOTHER

PAYONEER ID IN PAYMENT PREFERENCE?
Yes, we can do that for you. You just need to share the new payoneer details with us then we will
send you a new invitation to link your new account to Topcoder.

4. IN ORDER TO RECEIVE PAYMENT INTO MY ACCOUNT, MY LOCAL BANK IS REQUESTING

A RECEIPT OF PAYMENT MADE BY TOPCODER TO ME VIA PAYONEER. HOW DO I GET
THIS?
We don't typically provide receipts but we can provide a letter stating that we did pay you for
your services.
WESTERN UNION
You can elect to be paid via wire transfer through Western Union.

Process to connect your Western Union account with Topcoder.

1. Sign-up for wire transfer payments directly with Western Union Business Payments
from the link.
2. https://payee.globalpay.westernunion.com/PayeeManager/BeneficiaryEnrollment/Spe
cifyPayeeID.aspx?id=9E63C90B520F830246DA2FD728CDAEBF
3. Use the Topcoder handle as the Payee ID during registration.
4. Set your Preferred Form of Payment as “Fastest,” rather than “Least Cost.”
5. Notify [email protected] from your registered email address, with a note to set
up your Payment method as “Western Union”

FEES AND CHARGES FOR WESTERN UNION

1. If you elect to be paid in USD, there is a charge of $8 for each payment processed by
Western Union, which will be deducted from the amount owed to you.
2. If you elect to be paid in local currency, You will be charged $8 plus conversion fees by
your local bank.
Please note: Western Union does not disclose it’s fees to convert to your local currency so we
recommend you choose to receive in USD.

COMMON WESTERN UNION QUESTIONS:

1. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE PAYMENTS TO REACH THE WESTERN UNION
ACCOUNT?
Western Union payments are processed twice a month (i.e. semi-monthly, on the 15th and last
business day of the month). The selected payments will be marked as “Entered into payment
system” and will be processed in the next cycle. Western Union payments can take upto 3
business days to appear in the user account, after processing.
Please note, If the 15th or last day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, Western Union
payments will be processed on the next business day.
2. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE PAYMENT STATUS “ENTERED INTO PAYMENT SYSTEM”
?
It means that the payment has been transferred from PACTS into Topcoder’s accounting
software. The payment is queued to be processed in the next cycle.

3. WHAT’S THE CUT OFF TIME FOR PAYMENT ON THE 15TH / AND LAST DAY OF THE
MONTH?
The cut off time is 10 AM EST. All payments marked as “Entered into Payment system” before
10 AM EST will be processed on the same day. If the payments are marked after 10 AM EST,
they will be processed in the next cycle.

4. DO I NEED TO HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT IN USD? CURRENTLY MY ACCOUNT IS SET TO

RECEIVE PAYMENTS IN LOCAL CURRENCY?
Your bank account does not need to be in USD currency. You may need to enter an intermediary
bank though, for the conversion. Your bank should be able to help with that.

5. I HAVE BEEN CHARGED MORE THAN 8$ PLUS CURRENCY CONVERSION CHARGES. CAN
YOU PLEASE HELP ME IN UNDERSTANDING THE WESTERN UNION TRANSACTION
CHARGES?
Western Union only charges the $8 wire fee for our payments. Anything over that is being
charged by your bank or an intermediary bank and we are unable to see the fees, ourselves.
Please reach out to your bank or the intermediary bank to see what their fees are for conversion.

6. WHY TOPCODER PAYMENT LATE THIS MONTH?

If the 15th or last day of the month is on a weekend, or a US holiday. Payments will be
processed on the next business day.

7. CAN I HAVE MULTIPLE WESTERN UNION ACCOUNTS?

No. Western Union can only recognize one account per Topcoder Handle. In case there are
multiple accounts, payment will be rejected.

8. I WANT TO UPDATE MY BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS. WESTERN UNION SAYS IT’S

WAITING FOR TOPCODER APPROVAL ?
Topcoder does not approve the bank accounts change request for Western Union. Western
Union can recognize only 1 bank account.
Instead of adding a bank account, update your existing bank account with new details.
9. I SEE THAT PAYMENT STATUS HAS CHANGED FROM “ ENTERED INTO PAYMENT
SYSTEM” TO "PAID" BUT I STILL DON'T SEE IT IN MY PAYMENTS ON PAYEE MANAGER.
It looks like the payment was rejected because you have your payment set as ACH, rather than
EFT. To do so, you just need to mark your Preferred Form of Payment as "Fastest," rather than
"Least Cost."

For a more visual explanation, please refer to the below image.

Once you have made this change, we will resubmit the request in the next round of payments.

10. I HAVE AN EXISTING ACCOUNT IN WESTERN UNION. HOW DO I LOGIN ?

The login link for Western Union is available at
https://payee.globalpay.westernunion.com/PayeeManager/Beneficiary/Login.aspx
WIPRO PAYROLL
All Wipro employees are automatically enrolled to receive payments via Payroll.

COMMON WIPRO PAYROLL QUESTIONS:

1. I AM FROM WIPRO, HOW DO I RELEASE MY PAYMENTS?

Wipro payments are auto processed by payroll. There is no requirement to submit any
paperwork at Topcoder. All Wipro payments are initially created as “On Hold” status. The status
is auto updated to “Entered into Payment system” in 2 business days.

2. I AM FROM WIPRO, CAN I SWITCH MY PAYMENT METHOD?

No, Wipro employees will receive payments via Payroll only. Switching to a different method is
not allowed.

3. DO I HAVE TO SUBMIT A TAX FORM, IF I AM FROM WIPRO?

No, Wipro employees are not required to provide any tax form.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
Topcoder policy requires that all winners complete the identity verification process to be eligible
to receive payment. Identify verification ensures that a member is in compliance with our terms
and customer requirements like age and location
To initiate the process, submit the identity documents in the Verification form

COMMON QUESTIONS:

1. WHERE WILL TOPCODER STORE THIS INFORMATION?

The verification process uses previously provided information during the registration process,
NDA process or other data collection processes. All data is stored encrypted in our AWS cloud
environment. Any additional information / document used for verification will not be stored and
will be destroyed after the verification is complete.

2. HOW LONG WILL THE VERIFICATION TAKE?

Once the correct member information is obtained, the verification process can take around 5-7
business days.

3. HOW WILL I KNOW IF I’VE BEEN VERIFIED?

You will receive an email from the support team, once the verification process is complete. In
future, we may have a badge on the profile page, to indicate a member has been verified.

5. CAN I OPT OUT?

No. It's mandatory for all.
OTHER COMMON QUESTIONS

PAYMENT METHOD SETUP RELATED QUESTIONS:

1. HOW TO REQUEST FOR PAYMENT METHOD SETUP?

Please email us with the payment method you want to use, along with its details. Please use
your registered email address only. Please provide the payment method and its specific details.

2. CAN I SET UP MORE THAN 1 PAYMENT METHOD?

Yes, more than 1 payment method can be set. However, the system supports only 1 active
payment method at a time. Payments are always processed using the current active method.

3. I WISH TO CHANGE MY PAYMENT METHOD?

If you wish to change your active payment method, please set up your new payment method.
Please raise a support request for changing your current active method.

4. HOW DO I KNOW, WHAT'S MY CURRENT PAYMENT METHOD?

Payment method is not displayed due to security reasons. Please save a copy of your email
correspondence (that you have sent to support) for setting up the payment method.

5. DOES TOPCODER RECOMMEND A PAYMENT METHOD BASED ON LOCATION?

No. The charges for each method may vary based on location. Please check with your payment
provider support to know the exact fees & charges involved.

PAYMENT WITHDRAWAL RELATED QUESTIONS:

6. HOW DO I WITHDRAW MY PAYMENTS?

a. Please ensure you are logged in.
b. Navigate to the payments page and select the payments to withdraw.
7. I AM UNABLE TO WITHDRAW PAYMENTS.
a. Please check you have submitted the applicable tax form.
b. Please ensure you have requested to set up your payment method.
c. The Release date of your payment has arrived.

8. IS THERE ANY MINIMUM AMOUNT THAT I SHOULD WITHDRAW?

The minimum amount that you can withdraw is 25$, i.e. you can withdraw any amount greater
than or equal to 25$.
However if your outstanding balance falls below 25$, you cannot withdraw the amount, until the
balance is above the threshold of 25$.

9. I HAVE WON A CHALLENGE BUT I DON’T SEE THE PAYMENT IN PACTS YET?
Payments are processed in batches. It can take upto 12 hours for the payment to be visible in
PACTS, after challenge conclusion.

10. CAN A MINOR CLAIM PRIZE MONEY?

No, you must be the age of majority to participate or engage in activities involving payment.
Please check our website terms of use for details. If any payment is generated for a minor, it will
be cancelled and will not be paid.

PAYMENT RELEASE DATE RELATED QUESTIONS:

11. WHAT IS THE PAYMENT RELEASE DATE?

All payments are subject to a 15 day hold. Payments can be withdrawn after the release date.

12. I SEE THE RELEASE DATE IS SET TO 30 DAYS INSTEAD OF 15?

By default, payments are created within a 30 day release window due to legacy reasons.They are
auto set to release in 15 days in 2 business days.

13. IS THE PAYMENT AUTO TRANSFERRED TO MY PAYMENT PROVIDER ON RELEASE

DATE?
No. Payments need to be explicitly withdrawn.
14. DO PAYMENTS HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE?
As per current policy, payments do not have an expiry date. Changes to policy, if any, will be
communicated in advance to members.
However, it’s recommended that members withdraw their payments within 6 months of its
creation.

TAAS PAYMENTS QUESTIONS:

15. WHEN ARE THE WEEKLY GIG PAYMENTS PROCESSED?
Weekly gig payments are processed on every Tuesday (EST Time) for the previous week. The
payments will usually be visible in PACTS on the same day or the next day. If Tuesday falls on a
public holiday, the payments will be processed on the next business day.

16. I DIDN'T RECEIVE A WEEKLY SURVEY MESSAGE.

Taas Payments are triggered by Tuesday for the previous week. Please reach out to us at
[email protected] , if you don't receive the survey by end of day Wednesday.
REFERENCE LINKS

TOPCODER ARTICLES
Payment Policies and Instructions
https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/articles/payment-policies-and-instructions

Supported Payment Methods

https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/articles/Payment%20Methods

Payment Status Tracking

https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/articles/Payment%20Tracking

TOPCODER FORMS
W-9 Tax Form
https://community.topcoder.com/tc?module=SignDocument&templateId=2BA08E97-5707-4D6B
-AFD3-27635B53D13A

W-8BEN Tax Form

https://community.topcoder.com/tc?module=SignDocument&templateId=4640A329-F4D2-4D64
-BAAF-C2F8A5C20289

Topcoder Identity Verification Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfercr1dCOKC32iLiuNZbWDvNbdqRFZjTn-DWg_P
KE8n87Wnw/viewform
PAYMENT METHOD SIGN-UP & FAQS LINK
Paypal Sign-up
https://www.paypal.com/us/welcome/signup/#/mobile_conf

Payoneer Sign-up
https://www.payoneer.com/in/accounts/

Western Union Sign-up

https://payee.globalpay.westernunion.com/PayeeManager/BeneficiaryEnrollment/SpecifyPayee
ID.aspx?id=9E63C90B520F830246DA2FD728CDAEBF

Western Union Login page

https://payee.globalpay.westernunion.com/PayeeManager/Beneficiary/Login.aspx

Payoneer FAQs
http://payouts.payoneer.com/partners/Default/faq.aspx?pid=100018950

Paypal supporting countries list

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide
VERSION CHANGES
Version 1.0 - Released.

Version 1.1
1. Added Login Link for Western Union.
2. Added recommendation in Payment expiration policy.
3. Updated Document Verification Google Form link.

Version 1.2
1. Updated topic-wise hyperlink under table of contents section.
2. Added “Where to submit tax form” question under tax form section.